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The A-League has been rocked, with the Brisbane Roar shattering football locally as well as nationally by announcing the closure of their successful academy.
Knowing several of the coaching staff personally who will be affected, I had heard murmurings towards the end of the previous campaign that there was going to be changes to the fabled academy set-up – but only within the last couple of months have I became aware of how serious the situation was becoming.
Fans on social media as expected have not taken the news well, imploring the FA to strip the licence from the owners and some even suggesting the extreme measure of folding the club and replacing it with a brand new entity.
While the latter option will not happen, the call for new ownership gains even more traction.
Indonesia’s controversial Bakrie Group have owned the club since 2011 and have run it like a tax write-off ever since.
The Roar have gone from a powerhouse to a relic, with puzzling decisions on and off the field over the past decade of mismanagement.
There was the issue with the club trying to claim a former player’s injury compensation, superannuation not paid for months to squad members, the Robbie Fowler court case, a money-saving move from the CBD to a stadium 40 minutes away and recently the Corey Brown saga.
This is all before discussing how little investment there has been in the playing group in the past few seasons, with the Roar well under the salary cap and having to adhere to a strict budget.
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Coach Warren Moon was lucky to see a second season and has been backed this campaign with a marquee striker in Charlie Austin, but the side’s dressing room infighting and poor performances will likely cost Moon his job.
Warren Moon. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
The bigger question is where does Queensland, who as a state are renowned for developing youth, go from here? They must initiate a NTC or a state program and draw inspiration from across the border in South Australia.
As one of the A-League’s foundation clubs, Adelaide United is the club many believe to be the premier developer of young players over the past few seasons. Contrary to popular belief, United don’t have an academy.
Adelaide United are helped out by the Football Federation of South Australia, who administer the NTC program to the state’s junior players.
As part of this, the boys play in the next age group up from their own and the talented ones filter through into United’s SA NPL reserves side.
United’s senior and reserve sides who play in the SA NPL also rely heavily on a scouting set-up that allows the club to cherry pick the best talent from across South Australia.
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Brisbane Roar would be wise to follow this model and re-establish working relationships with the QNPL in widening their scouting set-up, so they don’t miss out on any prospects across the vast state.
With the underage academy closing down, what happens to the 200-plus boys, though?
Some will unfortunately be lost to the sport altogether. A lot will find homes at QNPL outfits, while others will now be seen like blood in the water to circling A-League sharks.
The Central Coast Mariners, who have always been one of the league’s best developers of local talent, have changed tact this season and recruited heavily outside their catchment area – in a similar vein to Macarthur and Western United.
Youth development is forever a hot topic in Australia and the bottleneck when players are 16 or 17 years old will only grow larger.
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A-League players under the age of 23 have seen their match time diminish by almost 10 per cent compared to last season.
Football in Queensland is now in a very precarious position, especially as the owners of their sole A-League club remain silent.
Losing the academy will be a bitter pill to swallow for anyone remotely connected to youth football not only in the Sunshine State but also nationally.
Brisbane will survive this setback, but whether they bounce back roaring like the lion on their crest or whimpering like a cub is another story.
